


Almost Home

by motherlucius



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers Endgame, Contains Endgame Spoilers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Avengers Endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-09 15:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18640843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/motherlucius/pseuds/motherlucius
Summary: [CONTAINS ENDGAME SPOILERS]With so many forks in the road, Bucky needs to chose one. Sam tries to convince him to take the one where they can be together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Aka; Me dealing with Steve's bittersweet ending by hopping on a different ship.

When Steve stepped on the time machine, Bucky had a sinking feeling he wouldn’t be back in five seconds. When Bruce and Sam began to worry that they had made a mistake and Steve was now trapped in the past, Bucky’s shoulders sank and he  _ knew  _ what choice Steve made. 

When a much older Steve--a man Bucky had hardly recognized--gave Sam the shield, he felt… Well, he wasn’t sure. He knew he would never make a good Captain America, there were too many shattered pieces of himself. The responsibility fit Sam well, even if the Falcon didn’t think so. 

It was a cool afternoon, and Bucky sat at the same bench Steve had returned to. The Stark tower was being rebuilt, in honor of Tony and in hopes that another Avengers could be reformed. He was offered the chance to stay, but he wasn’t too sure. Being an Avenger was never a priority or his responsibility--and to tell the truth, Bucky never saw himself as the hero. Not during the second world war, not while he defended Wakanda five years ago, and not a month ago when Thanos threatened to wipe the universe clean. He sought that purpose, craved it even. 

Someone sat next to him, and Bucky was torn from his thoughts. Sam looked exhausted, but gave Bucky a small smile. They had spent enough time together that whatever grudge they held for one another was gone. Bucky had come to enjoy Sam’s company and their light banter. If one thing was for certain, Bucky knew he had at least one friend in this world. 

“Haven’t you bothered me enough today already?” Bucky jested, a content smile on his face. 

“You don’t look like you’re from the thirties, but you definitely act like you are,” Sam jabbed back. 

Bucky chuckled, he supposed some things don’t change. There was a small but comfortable silence that followed. Although the turmoil in Bucky’s head still stirred, he at least didn’t feel alone. 

“Peter was asking about you,” Sam said. “Whether you’ll stay.” 

Bucky looked away. “I’m not sure, myself,” He said, his tone turning serious. “I’m not a hero, Sam.”

“Sure you are,” Sam sighed. “You know, I want to bring it up just about as much as you, but Steve saw a lot in you that a lot of people didn’t. I didn’t, but now I do. I was… I was exactly at that World War II museum Steve was always hanging around in. I had never been there myself, but when I saw what you did… For him, for your country and for everything you believe that’s right,” He shook his head. “I thought,  _ man,  _ this guy doesn’t respect himself as much as he should. It.. Made me a bit sad, I guess.” 

Bucky felt his shoulders sag. He had heard the same thing from Steve once, but this was different. Sam wasn’t just saying this to make Bucky feel better, under those words Bucky could hear  _ I want you to stay here with me, because I can’t exactly do this on my own.  _ He glanced at Sam. “I don’t know if being that soft fits you well,” He smiled, but the words were more fond than sarcastic. 

Sam put a hand on his shoulder, Bucky’s smile reflected in his eyes. The old soldier didn’t flinch, as it felt a bit too familiar somehow. “Just don’t be so hard on yourself. A lot of us do trust you, and we want the best for you,” Sam moved his hand, and Bucky immediately felt cold there. He stood up, and walked away. Bucky watched, he sighed to himself. He would stay.


	2. Chapter 2

Rebuilding the Avengers meant reforming a team, and there were plenty who were willing to live that legacy. Bucky, however, was still on the fence. He would stay in New York, sure, but… He wasn’t sure about the whole being an Avenger thing. He had sat through a couple conferences already and only gave his opinion when asked. Sam was filling his role, while Bucky was still lost somewhere in space. 

Late one night, Bucky wandered through the new Stark Tower. There was a new section he had been avoiding, but his feet carried them there anyways. It was Pepper’s idea to showcase a hall dedicated to Tony, Natasha, Steve, and Thor for their bravery throughout the years. Although Steve and Thor were very much still alive, it was a nice touch to honor those who made up the original Avengers team. 

Ever since the Accords--was it really that long ago?--Bucky never had a chance to make amends with Tony. It ate at him, that he was responsible for so much of that man’s pain and he hardly knew it. A part of him had moved on--no one would control his mind but himself--but another began to wonder what it would be like if things were different, if Tony would have ever trusted Bucky. 

The lights were still on in Steve’s hall, and Bucky reasoned someone was still there. He guessed it was Bruce, but was surprised to find Sam. He was dressed down, not even wearing slippers or socks, and staring at one of the monitors. Bucky approached, unsure if Sam had noticed him or not. 

“I don’t know how they did it,” Sam sighed, he glanced at his friend. “Do you?” 

“No, everything’s kind of blurred together,” Bucky offered a small smile, which wasn’t returned. 

Sam’s shoulders sagged, and he didn’t meet Bucky’s gaze. “I was handed this responsibility and yet… I don’t know if it was the right decision.” 

“I don’t think it was ever easy for Steve, either. He made a lot of difficult choices, but I think the simplest one was giving you that shield,” Bucky took a few steps closer, he stared at the monitor. It displayed a few newspaper clippings from the forties, reading out Steve’s plentiful deeds and eventually his disappearance. They were distant memories, but they were still clear in Bucky’s head. “I know you don’t think it, but you deserve it. I think Steve felt the same way before the serum, although… Probably for different reasons.” 

Sam returned that smile. “You’re not the best at this.” 

“I tried. Point is, I think you’ve been too hard on yourself and you don’t need to be,” Bucky said, he wanted Sam to know he was serious. 

Sam nodded, and there was a bit of silence between them. Sam began to walk away, and Bucky wondered if he said something wrong. But then Sam stopped and turned to look at Bucky. “Uh… Thanks. It does mean a lot to me that you trust me.” 

Bucky felt the strings pull at his heart and he smiled. “Yeah, goodnight Sam.” 

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the conference, right?” 

“Of course,” Bucky was left alone. He stayed in Steve’s hall for a while longer, before eventually returning to his own room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters are so short! After Endgame I just wanted some soft sambucky moments. Thank you for the sweet comments, can't believe how popular the sambucky tag has gotten !


End file.
